Sportswriter Drew Ellis examines the rivalry between Michigan State and U-of-Michigan. Impartial to both, he will judge who is a step ahead or behind both on the football field and on the basketball court. Join in on the debate and follow him on Twitter @ellisdrew

Monday, March 17, 2014

It's okay to say both Michigan and MSU are good

A rivalry is meant to be competitive.

One side not giving the other credit for their
accomplishments.

That is what makes it a rivalry.

But, if we can all take a second to step back, maybe we
can all agree that Michigan and Michigan State are in a good place right now on
the basketball floor.

Spartan Fans –
Can we admit that the last 12 months have been pretty good for John Beilein and
the Wolverines? Similar to you this season, Michigan struggled its way into the
postseason last year. However, it found the right formula and took off in the NCAA
Tournament, doing something State hasn’t done since 2009, and that is play for
the national championship. Combine that with a Big Ten regular season championship
this season, and I can understand why it would be frustrating for Spartan fans.
However, you have to give credit where it is due.

DON’T PLAY THE
INJURY CARD. Yes, MSU has been dealing with injuries all season, but try to
look me in the eye and say you expected Michigan to flourish without Trey Burke
and Tim Hardaway Jr. Then try and tell me the same thing when you found out
Mitch McGary was basically not going to play all season. You can’t. Michigan
did amazing things this season and showed great development in its role players
from last season. John Beilein deserves a look at being the National Coach of
the Year.

18 GAMES MEAN MORE
THAN 3. Michigan State looked great this weekend, but a Big Ten Tournament
title doesn’t trump a regular season title. Don’t even try to make that
argument, because if the roles were reversed, you would laugh at Michigan fans
for trying to claim that. Accept that Michigan swept the regular season and won
the regular season title. It happened and it is a big accomplishment for that
program.

Michigan Fans – Can
we admit that Michigan State looks like the better team today than Michigan? I
know the Wolverines won the season series, 2-1, but you can’t deny that Sunday’s
Michigan State team is the one many were expecting all season. The Spartans
look to be peaking at the right time and they are probably putting the fear in
all other teams right now. It doesn’t diminish all that Michigan has done this
season. Michigan State should be the better team on paper, which should make
your Big Ten regular season title that much sweeter.

MARCH IS KING. Just
like a regular season title means more than a conference tournament title, a
run in March means more than anything else. The Final Four banner holds supremacy
over a league title. If Michigan State makes a run to the Final Four, or even
wins the national title, that will be the trump card this season. It was your
trump card last season when you reached the title game and MSU lost in the
Sweet 16.

YOU NEED BANNERS. In
football, Michigan fans teased Michigan State for decades about Big Ten titles
and Rose Bowl appearances. Michigan claimed, and rightfully so during a
stretch, that it had national aspirations while MSU was a regional program. The
same can be said for Michigan basketball. Despite last year’s run, Michigan is
still fighting to sustain national success over a period of time. You do that
with banners. Michigan winning the Big Ten this season was a big step for the
program. It needed that to continue to establish itself as a strong basketball
program nationally. Michigan State doesn’t need that right now. While the
Spartans always want to win the Big Ten, they have established themselves
already. Michigan State has been about March for some time now. Their goals are
bigger than the Big Ten when it comes to basketball. Michigan is working toward
that point, but they need to string together a few solid postseason runs before
they can be a Final Four contender year in and year out.

So, can we all agree?

Who knows, maybe there will be a fourth meeting with
everything at stake. That would be something.

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About Me

I work for The Oakland Press as a sports writer and copy editor. I cover college football along with some prep sports. I spent six years covering Central Michigan University football, men's basketball, and baseball for The Morning Sun in Mt. Pleasant.